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From: madd@world.std.com (jim frost)
Newsgroups: comp.os.minix,comp.sys.ibm.pc,comp.unix.xenix
Subject: Re^2: IBM and Apple Operating Systems (Re: dosread.c again)
Message-ID: <1989Nov3.191142.4163@world.std.com>
Date: 3 Nov 89 19:11:42 GMT
References: <6661@ficc.uu.net> <10609@cbnews.ATT.COM> <143@asihub.UUCP> <6723@ficc.uu.net>
Organization: Software Tool & Die
Lines: 33
Followups-To: comp.sys.ibm.pc

korenek@ficc.uu.net (Gary Korenek) writes:
>In article <143@asihub.UUCP>, jmp@asihub.UUCP (John Pantone) writes:
>> Microsoft and IBM simply blew it when designing MSDOS and the PC...
>3.  IBM put it's tail on the line in introducing the IBM PC.  No one
>    knew it would take off like a rocket.  It was a huge gamble.

The PC was at least IBM's second attempt at creating a PC.  Another
attempt was called the "IBM System/23 Datamaster".  It ran only BASIC
(sound familiar?  BASIC in ROM?), had 2 8" drives, was
closed-architecture, and used EBCDIC.  The BASIC was by far the
strangest dialect I've ever seen (heavy FORTRAN influence, I think)
but was excellent for doing record-oriented I/O.

The machine was a flop.  It was such a big flop that almost nobody I
know has ever heard of it.  IBM screwed everyone who bought one of
those things, dropping support almost immediately.  People were
extremely unhappy with IBM's concept of "PC" at the time.

What happened to all the Datamasters?  Well, the original PC keyboard
is an exact duplicate of that used on the Datamaster with the
exception of the printing on the tops of the keys and the fact that
the keyboard is separate from the CPU....

In short, IBM just keeps trying things until something works, just
like Edison with the lightbulb.  They have the resources to do it,
while others try much harder to make intelligent decisions.  So, we're
stuck with a braindamaged DOS and limited hardware.  Sigh.

Followups redirected to comp.sys.ibm.pc.

jim frost
software tool & die     "The World" Public Access Unix for the '90s
madd@std.com            +1 617-739-WRLD  24hrs {3,12,24}00bps